Last season, the Dallas Mavericks made a franchise-altering decision that some are still left puzzled by. Long after the dust has settled from the Luka Doncic trade, one former longtime member of the organization gave his thoughts on the situation.
Four years after his departure from the Mavericks, Donnie Nelson is embarking on the newest adventure in his basketball career. Moving forward, he will be serving in an advisory role for the Slovenian Basketball Federation. Before taking this job, Nelson spent over two decades with the Mavericks as a coach and general manager.
During an interview following his latest career move, Nelson fielded questions about his previous employer. When opening up on the Doncic trade, he cited that franchise cornerstones shouldn't be treated in such a manner.
“We were with Dirk Nowitzki for 21 years, and the last three years were out of pure respect,” Nelson told Ekipa 24. “People like that deserve to say goodbye on their own terms and according to their wishes, and everyone deserves a decent funeral – figurative or literal. Everyone was shocked, some of us are still shocked.”
There is no denying that Father Time caught up to Dirk Nowitzki at the tail end of his career, but that didn't stop the Mavericks from hanging on as long as they could. They allowed him to end his story on his own terms, eventually retiring in 2019 at the age of 40. Doncic was expected to take the torch and lead the franchise into the future, but the Mavericks had different plans.
Following the blockbuster trade, Doncic will attempt to continue cementing his NBA legacy by being a foundational piece for the league's most storied franchise in the LA Lakers.